1
as in oppressive
difficult to endure
the murderous heat of the desert
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
those exams were murderous
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
braved murderous machine-gun fire to capture the hill from the enemy
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4
as in murdering
eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, extreme violence, or killing
Viking warriors became legendary for the murderous fury they displayed in battle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of murderous
However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime.
—
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
And Iran no longer being led by a theocratic, murderous dictator, that makes America much, much safer.
—CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
The Iranian regime is a brutal and murderous dictatorship.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
And Iran no longer being led by a theocratic, murderous dictator, that makes America much, much safer.
—CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
The Iranian regime is a brutal and murderous dictatorship.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for murderous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murderous
Adjective
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Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
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McElya described this as an oppressive framework that barred representation of LGBTQ+ identities.—
Elijah Polance,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Kansas played the Blue Devils close and made life difficult for Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, largely thanks to Flory Bidunga’s defense.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
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Parents in attendance shared appreciation for seeing teens connect with older adults, especially during a stage of life when meaningful conversation at home can sometimes feel more difficult.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Her government is to scrap a lethal arms exports ban in the coming weeks to promote Japan's defense industry and cooperation with the United States and other friendly nations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
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The Air Force now aims to translate those lessons into a portable, lethal system.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Residents describe the smell as a harsh chemical paint smell, similar to the smell in a nail salon.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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Hardliners appeared to consolidate power in Iran as a result of US and Israeli air strikes, with experts fearing restrictions on dissent could be even harsher.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In his 12 seasons, the Mustangs have played a challenging independent schedule featuring many Class 3A and 4A programs.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
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This challenging late-season stretch comes with the Heat trying to avoid the play-in tournament for the first time in four years.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The drink contained nearly five times what is considered a deadly amount of the opioid, court filings showed.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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The strike came hours after Afghan officials said the two sides exchanged fire along their common border, killing four people in Afghanistan, as the deadliest fighting between the neighbors in years entered a third week.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bethenny Frankel had a bloody mishap during an Instagram beauty routine, Billy Joel’s daughter shared encouraging news about his neurological condition, and Tom Brady was spotted with a new companion.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
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Jordan, meanwhile, said that shooting the film's most intense scenes – this is a bloody vampire film, after all – was surprisingly fun.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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There are no national – or local – media outlets setting up for live broadcasts on this searing hot afternoon.—
Celina Tebor,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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No kitchen is complete without a skillet, and this well-sized model is perfect for searing, stir-frying, sauteing and more.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Murderous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murderous. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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